We all are thankful for something in our lives. Couples are thankful for finding their significant others and for the chance to share their lives with someone else. But, did you ask yourself how this thankful feeling in couples will impact their relationships or marriages? Expressing gratitude to your partners more often will reduce the chances of a breakup in your relationship. The higher the quality and frequency of gratitude will result in higher life and relationship satisfaction.

While studying how gratitude affects a romantic relationship, researchers came up with two assumptions. Read on to find more:

One, when a partner addresses or caters to their partner’s needs and feelings, showed care and affection or demonstrated some other kind of positive relationship behavior, their partner will notice it. They will be increasingly responsive to it and will eventually lead to expressing more gratitude to their partners. For instance, John sees that his girlfriend Mary is very close to her family or friends. To show that he cares and loves her family and friends too, he will try to include or invite them more often to their vacations, dinner parties, and other social events. Mary sees that her partner is putting a lot of effort to include her family and friends more into their lives, and she will be more thankful to John because of it.

Two, if partners are thankful for their significant others, it will motivate him or her to act in ways to take more care of their partners and sustain the relationship. As they can realize that their partner is doing something special for them, working to make their relationship even better, it will have a profound effect on their spouse’s personalities. Their feelings of gratitude towards their partners will compel them to strive more for their relationship and unique things for their partners as well. Their partners too will notice this, which will create more feelings of gratitude towards their significant others. The researchers concluded that the both of the above processes could be found in all couples with varying levels of relationship satisfaction and duration of their relationship.

So, how all this affect your relationship?

You’ve to put some effort in keeping your relationship healthy and the sparks flying. You don’t have to do something outrageously big or tremendous to make your relationship more loving. Doing something small to care for your partner or the relationship can have substantial positive effects. When your partners see that you’ve done something really special for him or her, or for the relationship in general, they’re going to feel happy and thankful for it. It will motivate them to do something similar for their partners and the relationship as well in return.

So, when you think about how grateful you’re for this holiday or vacation the next time, pay attention to even the tiniest things you spouse does for you and the relationship. You will be more thankful and appreciative of having a special someone in your life which will strengthen your relationship in the process.